Railway-signal



B.H.'GBDGE. RAILWAY SIGNAL.

(No Model.)

No. 364,009. Patented May 31, 1887..

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURTON II. GEDGE, or COVINGTON, KENTUCKY.

RAILWAY-SIGNAL.v

SPECIFICATION forming part ef Letters Patent No. 364,009, aatee'May 31, 1857.

Application filed January 17,1887. Serial N o. 224,569. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

r Be it known that I, BURTON H. GEDGE, of Covington, Kenton county, Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in' Conductors for Electric Railway-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements inthe class of railway-signal devices such as illustrated in the Patent N o. 344,099,granted to me on the 25th day of June, 18'86, to which referencev may be made for description of details not here shown.`

Like my patent aforesaid, my present irnprovement has both an outgoing and a returning line of conducting-rails, but located inside the space between the track-rails, and with their upper surfaces arranged to receive the brush-contacts, and at an elevation but little above that ofthe bearing-surfaces of the trackrails.

, In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation showing my brush-contacts and a portion of a conducting-rail. Fig. 2 is a side view of the brush and its lubricator. Fig. 3 is a top view of the same. Figs. 4,' 5, and 6 are sections on the lines 4 4, 5 5, and 6 6, respectively.

l and 2 may respectively represent a customary cross-tie and pair of track -rails. Spiked to the cross-ties at any convenient point between the track-rails is my duplex chair or pedestal 3, from whose base 4 there rise two standards or uprights, 5, whose two upturned cheeks, 6, inclose a space, 7, which receives and holds the web 8 of a T-formed conducting-rail, 8 9 10, there being, as before iuti'mated, two lines of such rails--to wit, an outgoing line and a return or home-going line-as explained in my patent aforesaid. The head 9 o f the conducting-rails is preferably crowning, as represented, in order to shed the rain and to facilitate the removal of snow and ice by the conducting-brushes. A swell or foot, 10, at the bottom of the shank or web enables secure retention of the rail within the space 7 by means of a non-conducting forked chock,

at every joint inthe line,'and also at a sufficient number of intermediate points.

Electrical continuity at the joints is securedv 14", to press closely against each consecutivev rail-section.

In the preferred form of my invention the conducting-brush for each line comprises three brush-sections, 15 1617, so arranged as to ride along the top of the conducting-rail, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. i

The stems 19 20 of the brushes 16 17 may be respectively secured tothe front and the rear truck. These supplementary brushes may, in addition to serving to clear`snow and other obstructions from the path of the brush proper, 1,5, also be utilized as additional collectors of current. y Y

The stem 18 of the brush proper, 15, occupies a vertical socket, 21, in a bracket, 22, which is bolted to one of the truck-timbers 23. VA collar, 24, on said stem 18, aided bya spring, 28, so limits the descent of the brush as to hold it aloof from the ground and to facilitate impact .with the conductor-rail.

A duct, 25, within the stem 18 conducts oil or other selected lubricautfrom a'reservoir, 26, through the brush 15 onto the conductorrail, to prevent adhesionofsnow and ice in the winter season and to diminish friction.

A valve or faucet, 27, may enable the engine-man to regulate or suspend the liow of v lubricant at his discretion.

I claim as new and of my invention- 1. The insulating and connecting support for aconducting-rail of an electric railway-signal,

block 11, havingva slot, of the T-forined rail,

`having its head or track surface rounded for 15 the purpose of shedding snow and sleet, and a foot or expansion, 10, on the web of said rail, for the purpose of retaining the same in said slot, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of which invent-ion I hereunto 2o set 'my hand.

BURTON H. GED/GE.

Witn esses GEO. H. v KNIGHT, N. ROOKHOLD. 

